Archive By Section - Opinion

This Saturday, I participated in and finished my first 5k race. Never mind that I came in second to last. Never mind the sharp pain shooting through my seemingly ever-expanding hips. It felt nice to finish something.

It's wonderful to have members of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team back home. The last of the Vanguard troops have walked across Fort Stewart's Cottrell Field, uncased their colors and embraced the loved ones who've patiently waited for their return, bringing Fort Stewart back to full capacity.

If you haven't had the chance to meet the new executive director of the Richmond Hill-Bryan County Chamber of Commerce, it's probably just a matter of time. Brianne Yontz – that's pronounced "brI-ann" – took over at the chamber June 6 and has just finished her second week on the job.

She has long blond hair that flows in curls over her shoulders. Her bright blue eyes sparkle under the lights. She flutters her long, dark lashes as she cocks her head to one side in a flirtatious, come-hither manner. Her bow-shaped lips are a beautiful, rich cherry red. Her baby blue sequined dress flows to the floor, settling around patent leather Mary Jane shoes. She is only 6 years old.

When I heard Newt Gingrich's campaign staff had resigned, I called the premier political analyst in the country to get the low-down on what really happened. That would be Junior E. Lee, general manager of the Yarbrough Worldwide Media and Pest Control Co., located in Greater Garfield, Ga.

If the issue of major tax reform, which stalled in the recent session of the Georgia General Assembly, isn't taken up in a special session, it will almost certainly resurface in 2012. Before lawmakers go back to spectacularly bad ideas like reimposing the state sales tax on food, they might want to make major adjustments to a loophole through which tens of millions are pouring out of Georgia's coffers, and for the benefit of a select few.

Oversight is one of Congress' most important functions. When there is a major blunder - the federal regulatory lapses that led to the BP oil spell being a good example - it can often be traced to a lack of congressional oversight. At its most basic level, oversight insures that federal agencies are doing their jobs efficiently and well.

On Feb. 18, a group of citizens headed to the State Capital for "Conservation Day," hoping to inform legislators about protecting our precious coast and its wildlife. The Dolphin Project was represented by Gerry Sattele and me, from Richmond Hill, and Chris Hines of Savannah.

I recently was proud to announce that the 63rd Expeditionary Signal Battalion will be restationed at Fort Stewart, bringing 492 soldiers and their families to the post. The 63rd Expeditionary Signal Battalion's mission focuses on rapidly deploying worldwide to engineer, install, operate, maintain and defend in support of full-spectrum operations. The 63rd Expeditionary Signal Battalion is the U.S. Army's contribution to the Global Information Grid.

February 18, 2015|
By U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter
Special to the News
|Opinion

Twelve years ago, I made a decision to follow my head, not my heart, and put my career first. I'd just completed my first post-college internship at the Abilene Reporter-News in Texas and, having impressed my supervisor, was offered full-time employment at the end of my three-month stint.

Editor, On Dec. 16, 1773, demonstrators destroyed an entire shipment of tea in the Boston Harbor in protest of taxation without representation. Today, we have ultra-taxation with representation. At the rate that we are going, we will just sign over our employment checks and accept the spending money that our government gives us.

If you watched the Super Bowl a couple of weeks ago - and reports say that 114 million of us did - perhaps you saw a portion of the reprehensible behavior of Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin who, after scoring a touchdown, proceeded to mime pulling down his pants and squatting as if on a commode, before dropping the ball to the ground as if using the restroom. The NFL fined Baldwin $11,000, which has to be chump change to this boor. Astonishingly, the incident has gotten very little mention in the media. You can bet this kind of obscene showboating ...

The Georgia Senate had a busy week. We held numerous committee meetings to review legislation and listen to testimony either opposing or supporting bills being considered. The committee process is where the bills are vetted before being considered by the Senate, and it is a crucial part of the legislative process.

February 11, 2015|
By State Sen. Ben Watson
Special to the News
|Opinion